Concerning Syria.....

BEIRUT (AP) — Arab nations joined the international chorus of condemnation against President Bashar Assad's regime Monday, with Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia pulling out their ambassadors as a besieged Syrian city came under fresh artillery fire.

"Any sane Arab, Muslim or anyone else knows that this has nothing to do with religion, or ethics or morals; spilling the blood of the innocent for any reasons or pretext leads to no path to ... hope," King Abdullah said in a statement.

Bahrain, a U.S. ally that hosts the Navy's 5th Fleet, recalled its ambassador to Syria "for consultation," Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa announced on his official Twitter feed Monday. Bahraini officials couldn't immediately be reached for further comment. Kuwait also recalled its ambassador to Syria, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheik Mohammad Sabah al-Salem Al Sabah said in a brief statement carried by the state news agency KUNA. He said Gulf foreign ministers planned to meet soon to discuss the situation in Syria.

Condemnation of the Syrian government spread to the Internet, where the hacking group known as Anonymous claimed credit for vandalizing the Syrian military's website. The site quickly became unavailable, but screenshots circulated online showed the group's trademark headless suit and a message addressed to the Syrian people saying that "the world stands with you against the brutal regime."

Uh oh.....The King of All Sunni Is Crying out and Calling back his Ambassador. notice how the birds of a feather flock together. Thoughts?

Don't only Practice your Art, but force your way into its Secrets, For it and Knowledge can Raise men to the Divine!!!!!Ludwig Van Beethoven ~

Re: Concerning Syria.....

AMMAN (Reuters) - President Bashar al-Assad extended a tank onslaught in Syria's Sunni Muslim tribal heartland on Monday, residents said, in a crackdown on dissent that prompted an extraordinary warning from Saudi Arabia that he should stop the violence or risk defeat.

The Saudi criticism was the sharpest the oil giant has directed against any fellow Arab state since pro-democracy uprisings began to sweep across the Middle East in January, toppling autocrats in Tunisia and Egypt, kindling civil war in Libya and rattling entrenched elites throughout the region.

"What is happening in Syria is not acceptable for Saudi Arabia," Abdullah said in a written statement read out on Al Arabiya satellite television."Syria should think wisely before it's too late and issue and enact reforms that are not merely promises but actual reforms," said the Saudi king, an absolute ruler whose country has no elected parliament. "Either it chooses wisdom on its own or it will be pulled down into the depths of turmoil and loss."

Syrian tanks and troops poured into the eastern Sunni city of Deir al-Zor in the latest stage of a campaign to crush centers of protest against 41 years of repressive rule by the Assad family and domination by his Alawite minority community.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, who cultivated close ties with Assad but has sharply criticized the crackdown, said Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu would visit Syria Tuesday.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke to Davutoglu Sunday, the State Department said, asking him to "reinforce" Washington's position that Syria must immediately return its military to barracks and release all prisoners of concern.

The US telling another Sovereign Country they must return their Military to their barracks? What the Sunni don't like gettting picked on.....eh. Tuesday Clinton met with ex-patriots of the Sunni from the Rebellion from 29 yrs ago? Thoughts?

Don't only Practice your Art, but force your way into its Secrets, For it and Knowledge can Raise men to the Divine!!!!!Ludwig Van Beethoven ~

Re: Concerning Syria.....

Syria has reportedly received $1 billion from Iran in 2007-8 to buy surface-to-surface missiles, rockets, anti-tank missiles and anti-aircraft systems. According to Haaretz (March 21, 2008), “Israel has learned that Syria is buying more missiles than tanks, on the assumption that attacking the Israeli home front would deter Israel on the one hand, and help to determine the war on the other.”

A Syrian delegation visiting Moscow in May 2008 was reportedly seeking a variety of new weapons systems that Israel views as threatening. Israel is particularly concerned with a Syrian request for long-range S-300 surface-to-air missiles that could threaten IAF jets flying on the Israeli side of the Golan Heights. Syria also reportedly wants MiG 29 fighter jets and the Iskander surface-to-surface missile system, which is a longer range and more accurate missile than the ballistic missiles currently in Syria's arsenal. The Syrian navy, which currently has no submarines, is apparently also looking to purchase two Amur-1650 submarines from Russia. The dramatic increase in military spending and effort to significantly upgrade its military capability is one more reason Israelis are skeptical about Syrian intentions.

Syria was already known to conduct nuclear research at three facilities located at Dayr, Al Hajar and Dubaya. “In 2004, Syria continued to develop civilian nuclear capabilities, including uranium extraction technology and hot cell facilities, which may also be potentially applicable to a weapons program,” the report said. As a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Syria is required to submit to IAEA safeguards and inspections. In January 2007, the United States froze the assets of three Syrian entities involved in the development of nonconventional weapons.

According to Gregory Schulte, former U.S. envoy to the IAEA, Syria may be operating more nuclear sites.

Under a mutual defense pact signed between Syria and Iran in 2005, Syria agreed to allow the deployment of Iranian weapons on its territory. On June 15, 2006, Syria’s defense minister, Hassan Turkmani, signed an agreement with his Iranian counterpart for military cooperation against what they called the “common threats” presented by Israel and the United States. “Our cooperation is based on a strategic pact and unity against common threats,” said Turkmani. “We can have a common front against Israel’s threats.” In December 2009, Syria and Iran signed an additional defense agreement aimed to face “common enemies and challenges.” In praising the agreement, Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said, “it is natural for a country like Syria - which has an inhumane and menacing predator like Israel in its neighborhood - to be always prepared [against possible foreign aggression].”

You can read the Article as it tells all that the West knows that the Syrians have. Way more than Qadhafi.....Think the Saudi's want to take this on? The Sunni? They will have their asses handed to them on the goats they should be herding. Do you see how many missiles they have.....thats what we know of. Not what they got.

Don't only Practice your Art, but force your way into its Secrets, For it and Knowledge can Raise men to the Divine!!!!!Ludwig Van Beethoven ~

Re: Concerning Syria.....

BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian President Bashar Assad replaced his defense minister Monday with the army chief of staff in the midst of a brutal military crackdown on a 5-month-old uprising, the state-run news agency said.

He was replaced by Gen. Dawoud Rajha, a 64-year-old Christian, SANA said. The agency did not say who will succeed Rajha as chief of staff. His deputy is Maj. Gen. Assef Shawkat, who is married to Assad's sister, Bushra.

The international community already has imposed sanctions on the regime — including on Habib and Rajha — and demanded an immediate end to the attacks. France, Italy and Germany renewed their condemnation Monday.

The bloodshed has drawn sharp condemnation from abroad, and Arab nations joined the growing international chorus against Assad's regime Monday, with Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia recalling their ambassadors.

Thoughts?

Don't only Practice your Art, but force your way into its Secrets, For it and Knowledge can Raise men to the Divine!!!!!Ludwig Van Beethoven ~

Re: Concerning Syria.....

In June, around 300 opposition figures, including some from the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, gathered in Turkey to promote democratic change in Syria and elect a consultative council.

While acknowledging their differences, they agreed to work together, rejected foreign interference and stressed that the peaceful revolt did not target any sect -- an attempt to reassure Alawites fearful of persecution in a post-Assad era.....snip~

This is how it began.....This is what I was talking about D. With the Sunni and the MB. From Egypt and Libya all the way to Syria. &gt;

Don't only Practice your Art, but force your way into its Secrets, For it and Knowledge can Raise men to the Divine!!!!!Ludwig Van Beethoven ~